Have you ever met a person that had an opinion, or a way they did something that was exactly opposite of what you had been taught all your life? I recently did, and now I have a new interest that will quickly grow into an expensive habit for me [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I went on a bobcat hunt two years ago with a guide who was a friend of a friend. Great guy, cool personality. The bobcat hunt was a blast! Never experienced anything like that before, meaning, I'd never hunted behind hounds. Very cool.

Well we got to talking, he mentioned bear hunting....which just so happens to be a fettish of mine. He spoke of big big Oregon bears (that state we live in) and I was more curious. I knew we had a lot of bears, and being a measurer for most major record books, I knew there were many 19-20.5 inchers out there...but I could never get close enough.

He told me that he kills them at rediculously long distances...over 350-400 yards. No way, un-ethical, no sport in it I thought.

To come full circle on this, I had so much doubt, yet so much curiousity that I finally booked a hunt this last spring. As expected, I took my trusty 300 WBY on the trip. It never left the case. In the coarse of a few days, this guide proved to me three things. 1. Bears can die on the spot at long distances 2. I am NOT set in my ways like I thought, and 3. I need to learn to be a much better bench style shooter.

He took me out and let me shoot his rifle, or as he calls it his "edge". I'm learning now that it is a barrel manufacture or something. It looked to me like something earmarked under the Geneva Convention as inhumane (i.e. a 50 cal. or bigger), but to my surprise I think it was a 300 Win Mag...not positive.

I thought I was shooting pretty good, but mind you, I'm used to less than 100 yards off hand shooting in think brush.

Needless to say, I wiffed on a bear at a range of 395 yards, much to his thundering laughter...then to stick it to me, he filled one of his tags on a nice bear at over 500 yards. Luckily, we later found one much closer, so that I could beat it with a stick and I didn't miss this time.

I am now cruising the web hanging out in long range forums learning all I can about this sick new twisted way of hunting...LOL I like my new goal of "if I can range it, I can kill it".....ok, I stole that from the guide, but I'm using it. He changed my narrow mind.

Not sure if pictures are necessary for the point of this story, but I can add them if requested.

If you are a long range shooter like he is, you'd definitely have a blast on that hunt.

I live near Wilsonville, my office is in Salem, but I hunt mostly (now) in Southern Oregon, where I hunt a lot with www.southernoregonoutfitters.com. However, I just got back from Wallowa on a muzzleloader hunt last week. I see you are in Hermiston...what do you know about the Umatilla NWR muzzleloader/shotgun hunt for deer, or even the NWR in general are there good bucks on that?

There is humongous bucks out there. My friend drew a tag back when he was 16 or so but we never could get close enough with a muzzleloader or shotgun. We saw some absolute pigs though. Took a picture of a big non typical out there. Its pretty tough to draw a tag though is the only downfall, and you have to use a muzzleloader/shotgun, I dont like that either.